Why evolve consciousness? Neural credit and blame allocation as a core function of consciousness
Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2022 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21001953 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that a core function of consciousness is the global feedback of information about executed actions to support local learning via neuronal updating. |
Abstract
AbstractI concur with Merker and colleague's critiques, suggesting that hypotheses about the evolutionary function of consciousness can help address them. Brains are parallel systems that function to compute possible actions and predict outcomes. I hypothesize that a core function of consciousness per se is the global feedback of information about those actions actually executed, supporting local learning via neuronal updating.